New Cafes and Restaurants in September 2017 - Michelin-Starred Japanese Skewers & Pablo Cheese Tarts

New food places to try in Singapore this September

Image adapted from:

Vacation season is over, and it’s that time of year where hols have just ended, but the next one is miles away. Good news is here though - this list of spanking new places will give you cause to gather your crew and replenish some much-needed energy. Gear up for more muffin tops and food bellies this September, because amongst these 20 new cafes and restaurants are sinful desserts and world-renowned skewers paired with whisky and sake.

Cafes

1. Amamoto Cafe

Amazake - a non-alcoholic fermented rice drink - is normally associated with Japanese festivals. But with Amamoto Cafe in Raffles Place, Singaporeans can have a taste of it any day for takeaway.

Image credit:

If you want to savour amazake in its pure form, buy the Cold Amazake Drink ($4.80). But if you’d like some added flavour, Matcha ($5) and Roasted Soybean ($5) versions are also available.

But that’s not all. Amazake is known to be chock full of amino-acids and vitamins, and the best part is you can get it in many forms not limited to liquid, such as the Mango or Kiwi Amamoto Chia Seed Parfait ($5.80), and the Amazake-marinated Chicken Salad ($12.80).

2. Coffeesmith

The cafe scene in SG is always buzzing with new places, and this time we’ve got another Korean-based one - Coffeesmith - hitting Orchard Gateway, complete with walls plastered with K-drama posters.

Image credit:

Their beans are 100% arabica, and they offer the usual range of coffees like Iced Americano, Caramel Macchiato and Latte variations. A regular cup costs $5-$7, while a large is priced between $5.50-$7.50.

Hokkaido Milk Chocolate Mille Crepe. Image credit:

Sweet treats like waffles and cakes to accompany the coffee are available, such as the Hokkaido Milk Chocolate Mille Crepe ($7.90). But if you’re after a heavier meals, there are also savoury items like salad and bread.

Smoked salmon salad. Image credit:

The cafe opens till 3am from Sunday to Thursday, and for 24 hours on Fridays and Saturdays, so it’s a great post-midnight movie go-to!

3. Hustle Co.

Brunch + craft beers? Sign me up. Hustle Co. may have the usual brunch fare, but their not-so-secret weapon is their 12 rotational craft beers on tap. For $10.50-$13/pint for the craft beers, you can try interesting blends of stout, ale, cider etc. If you can’t make up your mind on just one option, their Beer Sampling Set ($20) gives you 5 choices.

12 craft beers on tap. Image credit:

Drinking on an empty stomach is a no-go, so make sure some food is in your tummy before downing their beers. Their Salmon Rosti ($23) is said to hit the spot, with salmon steak on a bed of rosti, topped with dill crème fraiche and salmon roe.

Salmon Rosti. Image credit:

Coffee is reasonably priced, at $3.50 for an espresso and $4.50 for a white. As far as brunch places go, this is definitely worth trying.

4. Keong Saik Bakery

With hipster cafes popping up everywhere, we’re hard-pressed to find old school bakeries that still make their own bread. Keong Saik Bakery attempts to bring some of that authenticity back.

A brainchild by 2 co-workers at Baker & Cook, they bake fresh batches of bread every day, without preservatives.

The Sor Hei. Image credit:

Try their signature pastry, the Sor Hei ($3.20) - a black and white Danish pastry with melted chocolate chips. Its name is a tribute to the ma jies’ (domestic helpers) way of bunning their hair! They also bake buns and cakes infused with local flavours like their Chendol Delight ($6.50) and Pandan Cheesecake ($6.50).

Image credit:

All-day breakfast set. Image credit:

For a hearty start to the day, go for their traditional All-Day Breakfast Set ($5), which comes with a selected pastry, 2 soft-boiled eggs, and kopi.

5. KORI KING

For those who aren’t familiar with Kakigori, it’s basically Japan’s version of ice kacang. Recently opened at The Cathay, KORI KING’s Japanese shaved ice bowls are the perfect remedy to SG’s sweltering heat.

Matcha Haven Kakigori and dorayaki. Image credit:

There are 8 flavours to choose from, all at $5.90 each, and every bowl comes with 4 mochi balls. For those unsure which to get, many recommend the Matcha Haven. Other popular flavours are local-inspired ones like the Black Sesame and the Gula Melaka. Additional toppings are $1, with choices like tapioca pearls and brown sugar jelly.

Matcha Kakigori. Image credit:

Kakigori aside, they also have Dorayaki ($2.90) - red bean pancakes - but with flavour twists. 5 different ones are available, the more interesting ones being praline and lemon custard.

6. Magnum Pleasure Store

Magnum fans, you’ll be pleased to know that the flagship Magnum Pleasure Store has finally opened in Singapore!

Image credit:

Indulge yourself - that’s the point of the store! You’ll get to customise your own ice cream from $8 by choosing your ice cream base, toppings, and drizzle sauce. With over 15 different topping choices from rose petals and chilli flakes, you’re definitely going home feeling spoilt but satisfied.

Aside from chocolate, they sell coffee too! Finish off your cavity-inducing treat with their very own blend - from $5 - infused with Magnum chocolate.

7. PABLO Cheese Tart Cafe

Here’s yet another new cheese tart place, so get ready to form a queue. PABLO Cheese Tart Cafe hails from the land of the rising sun, and boy do they know how to get everyone obsessed.

Image credit:

Their cheese tarts come in 3 flavours - original cheese, matcha, and chocolate. For those with smaller appetites, their Mini Cheese Tarts ($3.50) are the perfect size. The Mini Matcha and Mini Chocolate are $3.80.

Image credit:

If you’ve lined up for hours, it might be worth it to buy the Freshly Baked Cheese Tart ($15), which are giant-sized with a super cheesy filling. Matcha and Chocolate Cheese ones are priced at $18.

Image credit:

If you’re not yet cheesed off by the sheer number of cheese products, they also have the Premium Cheese Tart ($7.50/slice, $28/whole), which has a creme brulée layer. Tarts aside, they have their very own cheese-flavoured PABLO Smoothie ($7.80) and Soft Serve Ice Cream ($3.90). Let the cheese craze begin.

8. Parallel

The acai frenzy has far from subsided. If you’ve yet to have a taste of this superfood, new takeaway cafe Parallel is already creating a hype in the CBD with their no added sugars and sweeteners.

Superstar Bowl. Image credit:

Parallel’s superfood bowls come in 2 sizes - Regular ($8.90) and Large ($12.90). Their Superstar Bowl comes with all usual goodness blended into the mix: blueberries, bananas, granola, and sunflower and chia seeds.

Image credit:

Kill 2 birds with 1 stone - you can grab your morning cuppa here to go with breakfast. There’s an awesome collab going on between them and Common Man Coffee Roasters, so be it a Regular Black ($4.50) or White ($5) cup, you’re secured.

9. The AutoBus

Image credit:

For a friendly and cosy ambience in the heart of the CBD, look no further than The AutoBus. A bespoke cycling cafe with food as well as cycling gear for sale, it is aptly named after the term for a group of cyclists riding behind the leading group in a race.

Image credit:

You can get the usual brunch fare such as pancakes, toasts and egg sandwiches here, and their weekend brunch menu has dishes like Eggs Benedict ($12), Smoked Salmon Croissant ($14), and Pulled Pork Burger ($18).

Image credit:

Coffee is available from as early as 7am, so office workers can get their early morning caffeine fix on the way to work. A Hot Espresso ($4), Long Black ($5), and Latte ($5) are relatively reasonably priced, and an iced variant will cost an additional $1.

10. The Dark Gallery

If you’re a chocoholic, The Dark Gallery is the place for you. Serving artisanal chocolate in as many forms possible, indulging yourself here is definitely not a crime.

Image credit:

A scoop of single origin artisanal ice cream goes for $5, while a double is $8.50. You have a choice between dark chocolate from Venezuela, The Dominican Republic or Madagascar. There’re also a range of pastries, dessert platters, or drinks - all chocolate-based of course. Their Signature Frozen Smores ($7.50) in particular have been populating IG feeds.

Image credit:

If you don’t fancy a bite, you could always go for their Signature Chocolate, which comes Hot ($7), Iced ($8), or Frozen ($9).

Restaurants

1. Babuxiaomi

Joining the food paradise in Tanjong Pagar Centre is Babuxiaomi. If you’re craving something warm and soupy, their lunch sets which come with a main, side, and drink (from $12.80), will do the trick. Their noodles are made in the traditional Yunnan-style rice vermicelli in a hot broth, and a particular dish you should try is their Spicy Beef Brisket Mi Xian set ($13.80).

Beef brisket noodles.

They also serve noodles and rice bowls ala carte, starting from $8 for their braised pork rice.

2. Butcher Boy

Just down the road from Cure lies their newly-opened sister restaurant Butcher Boy. Like Cure, Butcher Boy also takes a leaf out of Asian flavours and incorporates them into their dishes.

Image credit:

This grill and bar establishment is perfect for all meat lovers out there - where you can choose between 5 sauces to accompany your grilled meat main course, namely Sambal, Black Pepper, Vietnamese, XO sauce, and Yuzu Bearnaise.

Butcher Boy Bacon and Cheeseburger. Image credit:

Have a go at their signature dishes - the Dry-aged John Stone Rib Eye ($33) and the Butcher Boy Bacon and Cheeseburger ($28) - along with their original cocktails. Aside from the meats, they also have intriguing small plates with East Asian and Vietnamese influences.

3. Chikin Bar

There’s nothing like a table piled full of small plates of kushiyaki (grilled skewers) to make your stomach growl in anticipation. At Chikin Bar, it’s all about Sino-Japanese fusion - Japanese yakitori marinated in Szechuan spices and sauces. They have the usual skewers such as Thigh ($3) and Chicken Meatballs ($4.50), and more off-kilter ones like Windpipe ($4).

Image credit:

If you’re a fan of seafood, the dishes here will excite your palette. From Japanese Sea Snails in Szechuan Sauce ($14) to Asahi Clams in Spicy Garlic Butter Dashi ($14) - you’ll be back to make sure you try them all.

Szechuan Bloody Mary. Image credit:

Pair the snacks with their house-made cocktails. Like their skewers, the cocktails too, have Japanese and Szechuan-inspired flavours. During happy hour, all cocktails go for $15 nett.

4. COMO Cuisine

Dempsey Hill has always been a worthy destination for foodies looking for brunch or dessert fare away from bustling Orchard Road. COMO Cuisine is their newest resto part of the COMO Dempsey concept.

Masala Prawn. Image credit:

Sporting Asian, Australian, American and European twists and additions on local flavours on their menu, the dishes will have you in for a gastronomic delight. They recommend their coconut charcoal-fired Masala Prawn ($24).

5. Donya Japanese Cuisine

These days, we can find Japanese food anywhere. Situated in a coffeeshop along Lorong Toa Payoh, Donya Japanese Cuisine sells donburi that start from a reasonable $5.80 for a Chicken Katsu Don. Other flavourful options include their signature Chicken Mentai Katsu Don ($5.80) or their Salmon Mentai Don ($8.80).

Fried Salmon drizzled with Mentaiko cream rice bowl. Image credit:

Mentai seems to be the thing over here, as their other specialty - makis - are packed with them too. Their signature Donya Maki ($5.80) will arrive wrapped with salmon, egg miso sauce, with mentaiko sauce oozing over. For added flavour, the maki is lightly flame-torched.

6. Ginza Rokukakutei Singapore

Hailing from Japan, Ginza Rokukakutei Singapore brings the famed kushiage/kushikatsu (deep-fried skewers) from its flagship branch in Osaka - and with their 1 Michelin star status, you can be sure that it won’t disappoint.

Kushiage Sampler Plate. Image credit:

Each skewer comes with freshly baked bread, and you can have it with a specially curated wine selection. To get the full experience, order their Omakase Skewers set ($134), which comprises a recommendation of 20 skewers, a veggie bowl, bread, and dessert. However, true to the Omakase concept, the chef will stop bringing you dishes when you tell him to, so ultimately you’ll pay according to the amount eaten.

8. Southpaw Bar & Sushi

We all love ourselves some Omakase every now and then, especially when we feel like treating ourselves. At Southpaw Bar & Sushi, you can have an Omakase dinner from just $68 with their Omakase Ume set, which comes with a mini bara chirashi.

If you’re up for greater indulgence, the Omakase Take ($98) and Omakase Matsu ($138) come with 7 and 9 assorted pieces of sushi respectively. There’s also an à la carte Bara Chirashi Don ($38) if you don’t feel up to a set meal.

Omakase ume. Image credit:

As many sushi fiends will be aware of, Omakase and sake are typically paired together. Here, they offer whisky pairings for the more adventurous. The bar can only seat a maximum of 12 people, so it is recommended to make a reservation.

9. Sumo Bar Happy

If you love Standing Sushi Bar and Tanuki Raw, get ready for a Jap food fest because these same people are bringing you Sumo Bar Happy - another yummy establishment to light up Waterloo Street.

Sumo Ramen. Image credit:

The word is that their Sumo Ramen ($23) is particularly mouthwatering. The tonkotsu broth is simmered for 48 hours, and you get a truckload of beefy goodness in one bowl - slow-roast oxtail, braised beef tendon, 8-hour slow-roasted red wine boneless short rib, and sauteed sliced US beef.

Other ramen dishes on their menu include the Char Siew Ramen ($17), Oxtail Ramen ($21) and Beef Ramen ($19), all with free-flow soft-boiled eggs.

10. Tapas Club

You know a snack fest awaits when each individual dish on the menu doesn’t go over $25. The cheapest dish, Bread with Olive Oil and Vinegar ($5), already sounds yums. The usual tapas fare such as Churros ($8), Paella ($20-$25), and Gambas al Ajillo ($12.90) can be found here too.

Your tummy deserves good food all month long

There’s no specific cause for celebration needed to enjoy a hearty meal. Treat your stomach right with good food and drink to combat the weekday blues, and to sustain yourself through the long work and study hours. Your body will thank you for the energy boost!